Happy Camper

If you had just come off of "Nutcracker Weekend," which also happened to be "Move Allyson" weekend and "Stay Up Really Late to Watch a Movie Weekend," and then you spent three hours at church and then got woken up from a nap for family photos...


...you might look like this too! Thanks for the cooperation, Dad! (He really was a good sport. In all the REST of the photos. You might see the finished product before Christmas, if I get on the ball...)

I Won!

My friend Michele had a giveaway on her blog and I won!
The package arrived today and it was filled with all kinds of fun retro Christmas items. I felt like a kid!


The stocking is made from an old table runner she got at a yard sale. She is always collecting vintage and retro items, and I am the luckier for it this time! The ornaments are on the tree and the stocking is on the wall already!

Thank you so much, Michele!

Merry Christmas, Mom!

Two years ago Mom and I tried to go to Disneyland together and it never worked out.


When Amy and Lamoni forgot their tickets when they came to our house on the way to the happiest place on earth we bought them new ones and said "SOMEONE" would use theirs before the expiration date. What a sacrifice. But SOMEONE had to do it.


So Mom and I went. We visited, took our time, and did just what we wanted to do. It was nice to spend time together and enjoy each others' company.


The castle was so beautiful at night...

Three New Posts

I'm blogging out of order again...

Puttin' Up the Lights

Happy Thanksgiving Birthday

Our Beautiful Ballerina

Puttin' Up the Lights

Last year we had no lights on the house. No work, no money, no time. Lack of Christmas spirit, I suppose. I did put 17 strands of lights on our 7 1/2 foot tall Christmas tree, but it didn't quite make up for the dark house every time I come around the corner.

This year we started early. The day after Thanksgiving, Ally, Amy, Maddie, and I put up lights while Lamoni mowed the lawn to get ready for the sidewalk-lining little light-up trees.

Continuing her new tradition of always wearing heels, Ally climbed the ladder to the roof wearing her high-heeled boots.


We made her throw them down so she could climb OFF the roof in them.

The girls wound the lights around the railing and outlined the balcony too. Jeff is still supposed to outline the tall roof, which is why I was waiting to take a picture of the finished product, but I'm thinking it might not happen.

There are few things that make me happier than coming up the street and seeing my house all lit up for Christmas! Happy holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving Birthday

Maddie turned 15 years old on Thanksgiving this year. She is always such a good sport about "going with the flow" for whatever is her birthday celebration.

This year we had Marie Callender chocolate satin pie and sang to her at the end of dinner!

We had three tables set up in the living/dining room. Susan, Brian, Drew, Jeff, Mom, and friends Sharon and Lorraine and I sat at the big table.

This was apparently the table with all the "cool people" on it for Thanksgiving dinner. (Amy, Lamoni, Lamoni's brothers, Moises and David, Maddie, and Allyson.)

The little kids, Sydney, Nate, Brian, and Aubrey had their own table in the middle.


Maddie folded the napkins into turkeys. She thought they were kind of dumb, but we all liked them! We had a great time eating, playing Catch Phrase and the Name Game. Jillian, Anthony, and Maizie joined us for dessert and games.

We missed David, Loretta, Julie, and Ally, but they had a great Thanksgiving too. They made their own dinner with all the things they love to eat--even baked a new "pumpkin cheesecake pie" recipe--and enjoyed each others' company.


Amy's friends, Eddu, Rocio, and Maritza (with David and Moises) joined us for "second dinner" Thanksgiving night!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Four Years Ago Next Tuesay...

We celebrated Sydney's 4th birthday today.


We were a little worried about not having planned something more than cake and presents with the family, but Sydney was perfectly happy playing with her cousins and her new Barbies.


This was Aubrey's idea of party finery...


I sure do love this little girl. The last four years have just flown...